The China Meteorological Administration reported that on July 21, Typhoon No. 6 "Fireworks" gradually increased in intensity over the Northwest Pacific Ocean. The National Ocean Forecasting Station upgraded the wave warning level of "Fireworks" to orange. It is estimated that from 08:00 on July 21st to 08:00 on July 22nd, there will be torrential rain to heavy rain in parts of central and northern Henan, central and southern Hebei, eastern Shanxi, and the coastal areas of central and western Guangdong, southeastern Guangxi, northwestern Hainan Island, and southern Yunnan.
Since July 17th, Henan has encountered extremely heavy rainfall. A 200-series integrated stainless steel manufacturer in Xuchang was affected by this and completely stopped production this Monday (July 19). The specific recovery time is not known, and the impact is expected to affect low nickel and iron. The output is nearly 10,000 tons, and local transportation is also paralyzed.
Coincidentally, the typhoon also has an impact on maritime transportation.
The Philippines and Indonesia, as major exporters of nickel ore and ferronickel, are also the main source countries of China's imports. In the first half of 2021, China imported 14.7785 million tons of nickel ore from the Philippines, accounting for 90% of the total import volume; imported nickel and iron from Indonesia amounted to 1.5744 million tons, accounting for 85% of the total import volume.
Nickel ore and ferronickel ships from the Philippines and Indonesia to China need to pass through this sea area. According to industry feedback, the current loading of nickel mines in the Philippines is still normal, but due to concerns about the unknown impact of typhoon "fireworks", many ships that have been pre-issued and have been issued in recent days are waiting at ports and at sea, saying that they will wait and see the follow-up situation. The next sailing arrangement will extend the arrival time of nickel ore and ferronickel to a certain extent, which may have an impact on some factories that are in short supply of raw materials.
